The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has clarified that not everyone affected during demonstrations between 2017 and 2025 will receive compensation under the government’s Ksh2 billion reparations programme.

Speaking on Monday, June 15, 2026, at State House in Nairobi during the presentation of the Report on the Framework for Reparations for Victims of Human Rights Violations, KNCHR chairperson Claris Ogangah said the compensation scheme is specifically designed for victims of gross human rights violations and excludes incidents classified as ordinary criminal offences.

Ogangah explained that the framework was intentionally structured to focus on abuses linked to state actions rather than all incidents reported during protests.

“The commission did this, acknowledging that not all cases reported to the commission qualify as gross human rights violations for reparations, as some were isolated criminal acts, including those committed by individual police officers and other citizens, which, Your Excellency, we believe should ideally go through the criminal justice processes,” Ogangah said.

She noted that only cases involving widespread or systematic violations connected to state actors would qualify for compensation.

These include extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, serious injuries caused by excessive use of force, and sexual and gender-based violence associated with demonstrations.

According to Ogangah, the commission documented violations linked to the disputed 2017 and 2022 General Elections, the 2023 and 2024 protests, including anti-Finance Bill demonstrations, as well as the 2025 Saba Saba protests.

“The report that we shall shortly present to you documents and identifies cases or violations that were widespread or systemic in nature,” she said.

She emphasised that incidents such as looting, vandalism, assaults, and other criminal acts carried out by civilians or officers acting outside their official duties would not be covered by the reparations programme. Such cases, she said, should instead be addressed through the country’s criminal justice system.

Ogangah also revealed that additional victims have been identified since the report was completed and appealed to President William Ruto to consider including them in future compensation plans, subject to available funding.

Her remarks come shortly after President Ruto extended the tenure of the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Human Rights Violations by 90 days to allow it to finalise its work.

In a gazette notice issued by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, the extension took effect on June 5, 2026, and will run until September 5, 2026.

The extension is expected to delay compensation payments, despite earlier assurances that payouts would begin in June.

In March 2026, President Ruto announced that the government would allocate Ksh2 billion through a supplementary budget to compensate victims of protest-related violations dating back to 2017.

“I took the first step and gazetted a victims’ compensation panel. We have identified all the victims and profiled their names. We have a comprehensive list of all the victims of protests from 2017,” the President said at the time.